People in Mygo are emotional firefighters.

The mental strain of customer service work far outweighs the physical exhaustion.

For hours on end, she had to speak into a microphone, responding to all sorts of clients and handling a constant stream of questions in a sweet, professional, and tireless voice.

My cheeks were stiff from maintaining a forced smile, and my throat was dry and tight.

Take out the key, insert it into the lock, and turn it.

The living room lights were off, with only a few scattered neon lights from outside the window filtering in, outlining the messy state of the room.

Her father, Toyokawa Kiyotaka, the once spirited man, now lay sprawled on the cheap carpet like a lump of mud, snoring loudly.

Several empty beer cans were scattered around, some still containing yellowish-brown liquid, which seeped into the carpet as dark stains.

The leftover instant noodle container was lying on its side, the oily soup spilled out and stuck stickily to the coffee table legs and carpet fibers.

Toyokawa Shoko stood at the door, quietly watching this scene.

There was no anger, no rebuke, and even his brows only furrowed instinctively at first before slowly relaxing.

A deep, almost overwhelming weariness spread from her limbs and bones...

She's become numb.

I gently closed the door, placed my backpack in the corner, and, as I had done many nights before, silently began to pack.

She crouched down and picked up the empty beer cans; the cool aluminum shells made her fingertips tingle slightly.

As she reached for a jar that had rolled under the coffee table, the movement disturbed the low cabinet next to her, causing a notebook with curled edges and a dusty cover to fall to the ground with a "thud" at her feet.

Xiangzi stopped moving.

She recognized the book; it was the household accounting book they used to keep accounts.

In the past, she would probably have put it back in its place without a look or expression, as if it were just another piece of clutter that needed to be tidied up.

But today is different.

As if guided by some strange impulse, she didn't immediately pick it up and put it back. Instead, she stretched out her dusty fingers and gently brushed away the thin layer of dust on the cover, revealing the slightly worn-out base color underneath.

She opened the notebook; the pages were yellowed and covered with dense handwriting. Most of it was her own record of daily expenses, meticulously calculating down to every single yen, documenting that difficult time when she suddenly fell from grace and had to learn to survive.

Beyond those familiar numbers, her gaze settled on her own notes at the back of the notebook.

Convenience store prepared foods are half price after 8 PM on Tuesdays.

[The supermarket at the south entrance of the train station offers special vegetable deals every Wednesday.]

[You can stock up on rice and oil during the end-of-month sales.]

[…Eggs are a good buy when they're on sale; they're nutritious and inexpensive.]

Memories surged up uncontrollably.

She seemed to see again a boy standing in a cramped little kitchen, worrying about the empty refrigerator and his empty wallet.

Back then, Ishikawa Mayu was far less composed and reliable than she is now; she was so clumsy that she needed to be taught even the most basic things like saving money to make ends meet.

She herself had just fallen from grace and was filled with fear, yet when faced with his even more disheveled appearance, she felt a strange sense of "superiority" and... perhaps, a sense of responsibility stemming from shared suffering.

Unable to bear seeing him worry about what to eat every day, she put on a stern face, took out the household budget book, and wrote down the rules she had discovered in her struggles, one by one, as if imparting some great survival secret. She even forced him to write them down, afraid that he would miss a single detail.

Remember? You absolutely must go on Tuesday night!

[I've highlighted these important points for you!]

What was his expression like then? A little embarrassed, a little ashamed, scratching his head, but his eyes were bright, he was listening very attentively, and he was even muttering to himself:

"Oh... Tuesday... and the south exit of the station... got it."

Unconsciously tracing the handwriting on the paper with his fingertips, Xiangzi's lips twitched almost imperceptibly—a fleeting, almost nonexistent, soft curve.

But the curve quickly froze and then disappeared without a trace.

The papers rustled as they went, until the very last page.

On the last page, it was still her handwriting, the ink looked newer than the previous pages, and the date was about nine months ago.

[You can find some bargains at the nearby farmers' market before it closes for the day.]

How to prepare a nutritionally balanced meal on a budget...

He hasn't looked at these notes yet...

That was the last time she wanted to hand over the household account book, which contained all her struggles and experiences, to him.

She thought that even if Mayu wasn't in such a predicament in the future, these more detailed methods might still be useful to him. She even mentally rehearsed how to "lecture" him with a stern face, just like before, so that he would remember it well.

But when they found Ishikawa Mayu, before he could even speak, he excitedly announced that he had made a "huge sum of money."

What else did he say?

"Oh, right," he said with a relieved, even slightly lighthearted tone, looking at the household accounts book she treasured, and smiled.

"Oh, we probably won't need this anymore."

No need for it anymore.

So easily, all the effort and...heart she had poured into it was negated.

At that moment, she felt like a fool clinging to a stone as if it were a treasure. All the rules she had learned through hard work and struggle to survive seemed so ridiculous, so... insignificant in the face of his sudden "good fortune."

A mixture of stinging pain from being looked down upon and a bitter feeling of embarrassment welled up in my heart.

She pressed her lips tightly together.

But just then, the scene at the school gate during the day unexpectedly flashed into her mind—he stood in front of her, facing Su Shi, his tone calm yet undeniably protective of her. And in the activity room, his deep voice saying, "I don't want to see you in such pain."

why?

Why did you cut off contact so decisively and almost unilaterally back then, move away, and become estranged? Why are you standing up for her today, shielding her from the questions and pressures she doesn't want to face?

What exactly is he...?

Confusion, like a wisp of elusive smoke, quietly permeated her heart, which was filled with bitterness and discontent.

These two completely different images—the one who easily denied the past, and the one who stood up for her—intertwined and collided in her mind, leaving her momentarily lost in thought.

She stared blankly at the last, brand-new page of her notebook, at the "concern" she had never given, which now seemed so ridiculous, and felt a tightness in her chest.

“...Mizuho…”

A muffled, incoherent murmur, heavy with the smell of alcohol, escaped from the father's mouth as he collapsed to the ground, interrupting Toyokawa Shoko's drifting thoughts.

She slammed the notebook shut with a sharp "snap," the sound ringing out clearly in the quiet room.

They didn't throw it away like trash, nor did they show any reminiscence or struggle.

She simply shoved the household accounts book, which seemed to be still warm and made her palms numb, back into the deepest, darkest corner of the low cabinet and haphazardly covered it with other odds and ends.

Then, as if she were shaking off something unclean, she patted the dust off her hands, even though there wasn't actually any obvious dirt there.

My gaze returned to my father, whose face was covered in a mess and whose snoring was rising. The brief confusion and turmoil in his amber eyes had been replaced by an almost numb calm.

She silently picked up the rag and continued wiping the stubborn stain on the carpet, as if the momentary lapse in concentration and emotional turmoil had never happened.

Breathing Xiaoxiang.jpg

Chapter Fifty-Nine (Two Chapters Combined): The Hem of a Robe and the Sound of a Zither

Tuesday, October 5th.

The morning sunlight streamed through the windows, casting clear dappled patterns on the desks of Class 1-A. As always, Ishikawa Mayu was the first to arrive at the classroom, squeezing herself into a corner seat by the window.

Instead of immediately lying down to catch up on sleep or review her lessons as usual, she rested her chin on one hand, her brows slightly furrowed, her gaze unfocused on the lush canopy of trees outside the window.

The band was finally formed after many ups and downs, and Gao Songdeng was finally willing to try again, which was undoubtedly the biggest progress.

but……

Last night, after I got home, Chihaya Aine's reaction on LINE was a bit strange.

Although I still reply to his messages, using the same familiar emoticons, I always feel there's a layer between us. My replies are slower now, unlike usual when I can reply instantly and flood the screen.

He tentatively asked, "What's wrong?", and the other end just replied, "Nothing~ I'm probably just a little tired (。-ω-)zzz."

He told Aine to get some rest, and Aine obediently replied, "Okay, goodnight, Masahiro-san too."

This reaction is so abnormal. Based on my understanding of Chihaya Aine, if she were really tired, she would either directly yell "I'm so tired, I need some comfort" or send a bunch of memes of her lying on the ground.

Before she left, Ai-yin seemed quite happy, chattering away behind her the whole time...

Girls' thoughts are truly unfathomable.

Ishikawa Mayu rubbed her temples, temporarily suppressing her chaotic thoughts about Chihaya Aine.

Compared to that pink-haired girl with an excess of energy who is probably just experiencing a temporary low mood, there are indeed more pressing issues to consider right now.

Toyokawa Shoko.

He accepted Nagasaki Motoyo's promise to help Shoko "face it with equanimity".

How can he help? He doesn't even know why the other party has completely shut down communication.

Ultimately, it was because I handled things terribly back then.

They thought that moving away and cutting off contact would make things easier for both parties, but now it seems that they were just sweeping the problem under the rug like garbage and letting it fester.

You can't just rush over and ask, "Hey, Xiangzi, did I do something to upset you?"

Just imagining that scene made him so embarrassed he could dig three bedrooms and a living room out of his toes.

Just as Ishikawa Mayu was feeling incredibly awkward about the scenario she had imagined, a familiar, energetic sound of footsteps and greetings came from the classroom door.

"Good morning--!"

Chihaya Aine's face was adorned with a smile even brighter than the sunlight outside the window as she greeted the students who had already arrived at the classroom with great energy.

Ishikawa Mayu subconsciously looked up.

Chihaya Aine happened to look over as well, and their eyes met briefly in mid-air.

Normally, the moment their eyes meet, she'd probably sidle up to him with sparkling eyes, chattering away about her funny dream from the night before, or something else to bother him when he wanted some peace and quiet.

However, Chihaya Aine turned her head away almost immediately, the pink ends of her hair drawing a slightly deliberate arc as she turned her head.

Good morning, Kanae!

"Aine-chan, you seem to be in a good mood today. Could it be that something good happened?" Kana asked with a smile.

"Huh? Is that so?" Aine immediately straightened her back, put her hands behind her back, and tried her best to put on a perfectly normal, even slightly serious, expression. "Nothing special! I just think the weather is really nice today, perfect for... um, perfect for studying hard!"

As she spoke, she walked briskly past Ishikawa Mayu's seat without glancing at him, as if there were some invisible barrier around his seat.

This blatant "ignoring" naturally did not escape the eyes of Mai, Kana, and Eri, who had been watching their interaction closely.

The three exchanged a knowing glance, their eyes scanning back and forth between Aine, who was walking towards the lantern with her head held high, and Ishikawa Mayu, who looked somewhat innocent in her seat. Finally, their gazes settled on Mayu with a mischievous and inquisitive look.

Ishikawa Mayu felt three unmissable gazes coming from the other corner of the classroom. She looked up and met their gossipy eyes, which were filled with "What's wrong with you now?" and "Tell me the truth!"

He shrugged slightly, spread his hands, and gave a blank look.

Mai immediately nudged Kana next to her with her elbow and covered her mouth to chuckle.

Eri then waved her little fist forcefully in Ishikawa Mayu's direction, her expression a mixture of encouragement and warning.

Looking at Eri's actions, Ishikawa Mayu was unsure whether she meant "good luck" or was warning him "don't bully Aine-chan".

but……

Chihaya Aine's "fighting ability" is clearly much higher than his own, so it should be him who gets bullied unilaterally, right?

"Good morning, Xiaodeng~ By the way, how are you going to arrange your practice?"

Chihaya Aine moved closer to the Takamatsu lamp table, her voice clear and bright, filled with barely concealed excitement.

Takamatsu Akari was looking down at the open insect encyclopedia when she heard this, and she looked up blankly.

As if to remind her, Chihaya Ai raised the volume again to ensure that her voice could be heard clearly: "Our band!"

Ishikawa Mayu couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Chihaya Aine trying to straighten her back, talking to Takamatsu Akari while constantly glancing at the reactions of the other students in the classroom out of the corner of her eye. She resembled a little peacock eager to display its feathers.

Although she's still being a little sulky about "ignoring him," it's really... great that she's regained this energy and even has the capacity to play these little tricks.

His lips curved upwards almost imperceptibly, then quickly disappeared as he continued to watch her performance with composure.